Josh writes: "An anonymous Republican Senator has placed a secret hold on the Open Government Act. Ironically, the purpose of this act is to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act. It is a shame that Senators are taking such a cowardly route to avoid a floor debate on this important legislation. The Seminal explains a plan to use the power of the Internet to determine which Senator is at fault. The plan involves using dispersed knowledge and resources to contact the 46 Republican Senators who aren't cosponsors to ask them if they placed the anonymous hold. A centralized tally is being maintained at this link. The American people deserve to know which Senator is responsible for this."

corigo writes: Supporters of Free Open Source, Oasis Open Document, and other Free and Open Source solutions have asked Microsoft to throw down the guantlet. Sue Me First says Christian Einfeldt of Digital Tipping Point and he's not alone. More and more people are signing up and challenging Microsoft to put there lawyers where there mouth is. It sounds to me like the open source community is far from running scared. Will Microsoft have the cajones to step up to the plate, or is Microsoft just continuing to use a scare campaign with no real faith in their ability to leverage the patent control they claim the open source is infringing on?